Baseball Downs Cambell, 10-3

Albaugh, Zsigo lead Spartans to win.

March 9, 1998

BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Sophomore Joe Albaugh led a 14-hit Spartan attack by going 4-4 at the plate, as Michigan State knocked off Campbell, 10-3, on Monday night.

Gary Zsigo (2-1) started and picked up the win for the Spartans (5-4), who have won three in a row since beginning their spring trip in North Carolina on Saturday. The Camels fall below .500, as their record now stands at 9-10.

Albaugh busted out with his second career four-hit game, including three doubles and a sacrifice fly. He also delivered four RBI for the Spartans, including a bases-loaded two-bagger to break the game open in the third, as MSU took a 5-0 lead.

Centerfielder Mike Wagner extended his nine-game hitting streak by going three-for-five, including his team-leading fifth double of the year to open the ball game. Mark Mulder also contributed two hits, including a first-inning, two-run blast to left.

Zsigo delivered a fine performance for the Spartans, striking out nine and getting nine ground ball outs, of importance due to a stiff wind blowing out to left during an unusually cold night in North Carolina. The sophomore southpaw fanned at least one batter in each inning he worked, as he held the Camels scoreless for the first six frames.

The Spartans jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first, as Mulder blasted Camel starter Kevin Dail's 2-1 pitch over the left field wall for a two-run homer, his second of the year. Zsigo kept the Camels off the board in the bottom of the frame, as he stranded a runner at third by getting Campbell rightfielder Chris Warren to chase a low-and-outside breaking ball to end the inning.

Michigan State again took the offensive in the top of the third, chasing Dail from the hill. Wagner singled, shortstop Tom Grigg walked and catcher Joe Kalczynski was hit by Dail's 1-2 pitch to load the bases with two outs for first sacker Ryan Leson. The sophomore hit a squibber between the mound and first. Camel first baseman Mike Corbitt fielded it cleanly and flipped to Dail, who missed the bag, allowing Leson to reach on an RBI single. Albaugh followed that up by delivering a double down the right field line, sending Grigg and Kalczynski home and giving MSU a 5-0 edge.

The Green and White staked Zsigo to a 7-0 advantage with a pair of runs in the fifth. Kalczynski got on with a one-out hit by pitch, moving to second on a single by third baseman Mike Pisani. Leson followed with a single of his own, loading the bases for Albaugh, who delivered a sacrifice fly to medium-deep left field. Rightfielder Tom Hartley followed with a ground ball to second, which went between the legs of Camel second baseman Scott Jackson, as Pisani came around to score.

The Spartans added another run in the sixth on a Camel miscue. Mulder delivered a two-out double to the wall in left. Kalczynski followed with a pop-up to Jackson, who could not handle it with the stiff breeze gusting, allowing Mulder to reach home with an unearned run.

Zsigo finally ran out of gas in the seventh, giving up four consecutive singles with one out to allow the Camels to score twice. Sophomore Casey Reader came on in relief to slam the door on the Campbell rally, stranding two runners by striing out Warren and getting a ground ball back to the pitcher by first baseman Mike Campbell.

Michigan State reached the double-digit run total in the ninth, as it scored twice, again with the assistance of the Campbell defense. After Pisani led off the inning with a single, Camel third sacker Rob Reinstetle's errant throw allowed Leson to reach, putting two runners on for Albaugh. The Mt. Pleasant native promptly delivered his third double of the evening, knocking home Pisani. With the one down and bases juiced, Wagner delivered a sac fly to right, scoring Leson with the final tally.

Campbell and Michigan State will lock horns again on Tuesday, the third affair of a four-game set in Buies Creek, N.C. Sophomore Kimya Massey (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 2.1 innings) will get the nod for the Spartans.

NOTES: Michigan State pitchers have recorded a strikeout in 27 consecutive innings...Mike Pisani recorded an error on a ground ball in the fifth, the first by a Spartan non-pitcher this season in the field. That ended a string of nine games and 267 straight chances in the field without a miscue...Mike Wagner, a JC transfer, has opened his MSU career off right, as he has a base hit in each Spartan game this season...Wagner also extends the streak to 21 games in which the Spartan leadoff man has reached base at least once. MSU is 12-9 during this time...In the last three games, Spartan starting pitchers have recored 35 Ks and just two walks over 23.1 innings. Overall, MSU has fanned 40 during its three games in North Carolina...Casey Reader rebounded from two early-season outings to deliver a fine job in relief on Monday, fanning four and giving up just one run in 2.2 innings on the hill...Ted Demetral helped MSU with his glove early in Monday's contest, cleanly converting six chances in the field in the first four innings...Albaugh's four RBI marked the first time a Spartan has recorded at least four since Marty Patterson knocked in five on April 26, 1997, in a 14-3 win over Indiana...Albaugh's 4-4 performance marked the first time a Spartan had four hits in four at bats since Tom Hartley turned the trick on March 8, 1997, against Ashland...Kalczynski's 13 putouts marked the third straight game that an MSU fielder has recorded double-digit putout totals...MSU is 3-0 since Kalczynski moved into the cleanup spot and Mulder moved into the No. 3 hole...The last three-game MSU winning streak was May 7-11, 1997...MSU has lowered its team ERA to 4.00...Ryan Leson has ten hits, as he has played in seven games this season. He had nine hits during all of 1997 in 23 contests...Joe Albaugh doubled his career double total to six with the triad of two-baggers in Monday's game. He had three in 73 at bats last season...Mulder and senior Brian Murphy have a combined 51 strikeouts and just seven walks in 39.2 innings...No opposing left-handed batter has stepped in to face Mulder this season...Spartan pitchers are averaging 9.9 strikeouts per game, while yielding just 2.9 free passes per nine innings...Murhpy has allowed the leadoff man in the inning to reach base just three times in 20 innings...MSU is hitting .320 with the bases empty and .313 (5 H-16 AB) with the bases full...Pisani and Albaugh each have current four-game hitting streaks.